Teachers remain unhappy with province’s deal

SIMCOE COUNTY – Students who returned to public schools in Simcoe County on Monday will still have to do without extracurricular activities.
Teachers unions remain upset at being forced last week to accept a contract by Laurel Broten, the provincial minister of education.
Sam Hammond, president of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO), also announced Wednesday that teachers will stage a one-day political protest on Friday aimed at the government and education minister for invoking Bill 115.
“The minister made a deliberate and provocative choice to wipe out the democratic rights of tens of thousands of educators rather than work towards a respectful solution,” Hammond said in a statement. “She could have taken our olive branch and waited for a new leader to try and find solutions, but she chose not to.
“Our members are standing up to say that democratic values must trump party politics in this province. What happened to educators must not happen to any other Ontarian.”
The ETFO issued a memo Jan. 4 instructing teachers to “continue to push the pause button on voluntary activities” at their schools, including clubs and sports.
“Given the actions of the government, members will continue to focus only on the direct instruction of students and ensure student safety. It can’t be business as usual in public elementary schools,” Hammond said.
The Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation has instructed its 50,000 members – in capital letters and a bold font – that they “WILL NOT” return to voluntary extracurriculars, leaving some teachers frustrated at the bid to take the decision out of their hands.
The union posted the directive on its website late Monday, with wording that goes beyond merely suggesting that teachers think twice before running after-school programs again.
In what she described “as an act of good faith,” Broten said she will repeal Bill 115 at a later date, saying the controversial piece of legislation had been a “lightning rod” during months of failed negotiations.
“It is an important step to find a way forward with our teachers,” she said. “We’re removing that barrier and we’re very, very hopeful we’ll see the return of extracurricular activities.”
Broten has cautioned both unions to not stage any “political action” or wildcat strikes, as they had threatened to do should a non-negotiated contract be imposed.
The contract contains provisions found in the deal reached months ago with Catholic teachers. They include a wage freeze, a cutback on the number of sick days, and reducing the number of accumulated sick days that will be paid out when a teacher retires.